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Bala Hissar, Sherpur fortress and Arg: The architecture of power in Kabul

Throughout the centuries, the seat of power in Kabul has almost always been within the walls of a strong fortress-palace. That will continue, as whatever the outcome of the current election, the new president will continue to live in the Arg. Guest author Bill Woodburn*, retired military engineer and specialist in fortified architecture, traces the […]

3 May 2014 Bill Woodburn • Context and Culture

Elections 2014 (17): Journalists argue over neutrality, patriotism and the E-Day blackout

A debate has opened up on the role of the media during the Afghan presidential elections and its relationship with the Afghan state. It turns out that many journalists did not report or minimised reporting of Taleban attacks on election day – for a mix of political, patriotic and editorial reasons. In the days after, […]

30 Apr 2014 Kate Clark • Political Landscape

Elections 2014 (16): Final preliminary results, complaints, campaigns and negotiations

The preliminary results of the 2014 presidential election have been announced, with two clear frontrunners – Dr Abdullah Abdullah, with 44.9 per cent of the vote and Dr Ashraf Ghani with 31.5 per cent – and no outright winner. These are still preliminary results, not yet taking into consideration the findings of the complaints commission (IECC), […]

28 Apr 2014 Martine van Bijlert • Political Landscape

Elections 2014 (15): Hazaras overturning all expectations

Before the elections, no-one had expected Abdullah Abdullah to win the Hazarajat’s votes, especially by such a large margin. His strong showing here – and that of his vice president, Mohammad Mohaqeq – could have consequences for the presidential election as a whole; the Hazaras, as one of the largest minorities in the country, could play […]

24 Apr 2014 Qayoom Suroush • Political Landscape

Elections 2014 (14): Why two thirds of Andar’s polling centres may have never opened

Andar district, which is located along Highway 1 after Ghazni city and also straddles the main road to Paktia, has long been a stronghold for the Taleban. The district is home to the Nur-ul-Madaris madrassa where a number of key Taleban leaders once studied and was one of the first places where the insurgency reappeared […]

23 Apr 2014 Fazal Rahman • Political Landscape

Elections 2014 (13): The IEC and IECC’s reluctance to be transparent

An overriding theme over the past two weeks has been the reluctance of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) and the Independent Electoral Complaints Commission (IECC) to publicly release detailed information as to what is going on with the vote count. Both bodies are now catching up, but only reluctantly so, and the first round of the […]

22 Apr 2014 Martine van Bijlert • Political Landscape

Elections 2014 (12): The Taleban rant and take a harder line on peace

As well as launching armed attacks on election day, the Taleban also tried to disrupt the elections with a ‘public relations’ campaign against the legitimacy of the vote. Like many others, they also appear to have been thrown off kilter by the large turnout. Their response has been characterised by incoherence and distress, with Taleban statements […]

21 Apr 2014 Borhan Osman • Political Landscape

Elections 2014 (11): How the Hazaras voted in Bamyan

Initial observations appear to show that Dr Abdullah has won the majority of the vote in Bamyan – with Ashraf Ghani so far second by a large margin. Bamyan is important – a province which is generally secure and has a highly motivated electorate. It is also the one province with an overwhelmingly ethnic Hazara […]

16 Apr 2014 Qayoom Suroush • Political Landscape

Elections 2014 (10): Paktia – where rain helped the ‘king making’ voters

A week after the election, AAN looks at how Paktia province, with the southeastern region’s centre Gardez, fared in the elections and after. Like Kandahar, Paktia returns a mixed picture: a large turnout in the city and some district centres, but far less participation already at the city borders and in other districts. A specific […]

14 Apr 2014 Pakteen Ibrahimi • Political Landscape

Elections 2014 (9): Making sense of the first ten per cent of the results

The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has released its long-awaited first, partial results, having counted a little over half a million votes, representing a 10 per cent result in 26 provinces. The results, announced on 13 April 2014 in a short press conference, showed Dr Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani firmly in the lead – something which […]

13 Apr 2014 Martine van Bijlert • Political Landscape

Elections 2014 (8): Kandahar, a centre-districts divide and the weakening of the tribal factor

Election day has already been praised for the high voter turnout and the relatively peaceful atmosphere it went down in. Pictures from Kandahar, a province perceived as notoriously insecure, surprised many, showing men and women lining up in long queues to vote. A look at the micro-level, however, reveals a more nuanced picture. Borhan Osman, […]

11 Apr 2014 Borhan Osman • Political Landscape

Elections 2014 (7): An emerging mixed picture

It is four days after the election. The country is generally still in a good mood after a poll that went much better than expected. At the same time, a more complete picture is emerging and it is, unsurprisingly, mixed. Alongside a robust genuine and determined vote, there are indications of significant irregularities: old patterns of intimidation, ballot-stuffing, and ‘ghost polling stations’ in […]

9 Apr 2014 Martine van Bijlert • Political Landscape

9 April 2014, Berlin: Panel on Afghan Election

“South Asia in Transition: Elections, political parties and civil society” Joint conference of the South Asia Institute, University of Heidelberg and Konrad Adenauer Foundation   Time: 9 April 2014, 10.00 – 16.30 (India panel before lunch; Pakistan panel 1:00 pm; Afghanistan panel 2:50pm)   Venue: Akademie der Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, Tiergartenstr. 35, Berlin Panellists are: Prof. Baryalai Hakimi Law […]

8 Apr 2014 admin • Events

Elections 2014 (6): Two types of security in the Shomali

The Shomali plain is the plateau spanning north of Kabul to the Salang. A fertile and comparatively rich area of the country, it also features strong political-armed networks dating back to the mujaheddin time. Fabrizio Foschini came back from observing the election in the Shomali with mixed feelings. The success achieved by Afghan security forces […]

7 Apr 2014 Fabrizio Foschini • Political Landscape

Elections 2014 (5): Inky Fingers and Wet Feet – Polling Day

As the polls closed and the counting of votes in Afghanistan’s 2014 presidential elections began, rain was still pouring down in many parts of Afghanistan. Despite the weather, first impressions suggest turnout was good, at least in the cities. Taleban violence was worse than on an average day in early April and their threats kept […]

5 Apr 2014 Martine van Bijlert • Political Landscape

Under Fire: The status of the 2014 election observation

Election observers can play a useful role, nudging – both directly and through their governments – Afghan election authorities towards greater transparency and accountability, writes AAN’s Thomas Ruttig. However, this year’s international observer missions have, compared to the elections in 2009 and 2010, shrunk significantly. This is for different reasons, among them organisations’ fear to […]

5 Apr 2014 Thomas Ruttig • Political Landscape

Elections 2014 (4): The election day in snapshots from the provinces

How did election day go? After a first collection of voices from the provinces on the day before the vote (read here), we continued to hear from our friends and from journalists, civil society activists and government officials across the country. We asked them to describe what they saw in terms of voter turnout, atmosphere, fraud – […]

5 Apr 2014 AAN Team • Political Landscape

Election 2014 (3): Snapshots from the provinces before the vote

While the countdown to the vote is nearly finished, the situation ahead of it differs widely in the various parts of the country. Reports from the provinces can convey enthusiasm, insecurity, suspicions of fraud or just resignation. Depending on the person talking to you, they can become extremely detailed mappings of the security situation and […]

5 Apr 2014 AAN Team • Political Landscape

Election 2014 (2): The polling centres that were taken off the list

On the eve of the election, AAN’s Martine van Bijlert takes a look at the final list of polling centres that the Independent Election Commission (IEC) has considered secure enough to open for voting tomorrow (5 April 2014). She looks at where the polling stations are – or rather: where they have they been removed – […]

4 Apr 2014 Martine van Bijlert • Political Landscape

Elections 2014 (1): Impressions from Kunduz at the eve of the elections

The police chief launches operations to secure insurgency riddled districts. Campaign managers complain about the performance of the IEC. Militia commanders do their best to exhibit power, helping candidates to get more votes for money and incentives offered in case of victory. And then there are those candidates who peacefully compete for the trust of the people, ‘armed’ with […]

4 Apr 2014 AAN Team • Political Landscape